Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidJayUden
Also the "980" on the left side of the upper looks a bit odd.
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Looking at that area, it does look suspicious at a glance. It looks like a ding on the lower left part of the 8, Check out the mark on the frame, to the right of the side plate... It looks very much the same, although oriented a little differently. In this pic, also, the ding is visible in the loop of the 8, which would mean that it was created after the digit was stamped, not the other way around--with the digit over something else. Finally, the classic wearing of the finish caused by the motion of the upper past the trigger lever and side plate is what you'd expect on these numbers, or, more accurately, the metal displaced by their application.
The markings on the right side of the frame look OK in the pic, although I can't recall having seen one like the first in line on the left. I have not looked it up yet...but maybe that's your job! My 1917/1920 reworked former Arty also has 5 (including the "flaming squirrel").
Nasty looking collection of graffiti on the bbl., for sure, but part and parcel of the variation, for the most part, so if you want a British capture for the collection, the price seems reasonable to me.